


Froth

by EmberForge



Series: Bad Things Happen to Flawed People [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Fjord Whump, Fjord and Molly have a heart to heart, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I think this is turning into a thing you guys, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 10:53:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14747471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberForge/pseuds/EmberForge
Summary: Somebody notices, this time.





	Froth

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to make these into a series looking at a moment with Molly and each of the Mighty Nein. Keep a lookout for more in the future, and feel free to go back and read the others if you haven't yet done so!

_Consume._

Fjord could think of nothing else. He was back _there_ , wherever there was. Some distant part of his mind registered the fact that he was dreaming, but it was overwhelmed by his incredible hunger. Though the previous encounters always became blurred after he left them, the memory of that terrible emptiness always remained. It seemed worse than ever, this time. When the choice was put before him, he barely even hesitated when he brought the falchion to his lips.

The pain is what hit him next. The pain, and the horrible feeling of choking. But they were nothing compared to the hollowness of his stomach. He kept pushing the falchion down, _down_ , as far as he could, desperate to fill the void. He felt himself gagging on cool metal and salty blood, but he couldn't stop himself in his pursuit. Further, further, further down his throat it went, shredding his throat to ribbons in the process. 

_Consume._

He was nearly at the hilt now. A part of him ached at the sight, for he was still so hungry.

_Consume._

Consume until there was nothing left, nothing but the bitter taste of blood, and the sea, and-

 _"...Fjord!_ Fjord!"

Fjord's eyes shot open, suddenly awake. Momentarily still lost in the world of the dreaming, he didn't register where he was; couldn't see the world in front of his face. His face was damp, with sweat or seawater he wasn’t sure; perhaps both. He tried to take a deep breath, only to panic as he found himself choking instead. His eyes widened as only a gurgling sound escaped him, and through his panic he registered warm hands grabbing him firmly, maneuvering him until he was turned on his side. A sharp pain landed in the middle of his back, and it was if a literal floodgate released. Liquid came pouring out of Fjord's mouth, but all he could think about was how grateful he was to breathe in between the coughing and sputtering. The hand didn't leave his back throughout, rubbing small circles, and he slowly became aware that he could hear a soft voice speaking to him. “Come on, deep breaths. Listen to the sound of my voice, Fjord. In… and out. That’s it. Just focus on breathing.”

The voice kept speaking until eventually, his coughing slowed to a stop, and Fjord was finally able to open his watering eyes. He could still feel the vicious burn at the back of his throat, and had to swallow frequently to keep the blood still dripping down his throat from building up. Though the hunger was gone, the pain of the encounter still lingered. His gaze focused on the sheets in front of him, and he wasn’t entirely shocked to see that they had been dyed with a frothy pink liquid- the remnants of saltwater and blood.

Damn. He was going to have to pay for that. 

"Are you with me now?"

Fjord looked over to see that the voice and hands had belonged to Molly, who was currently perched at the edge of his bed, a concerned gleam in his eye as he looked Fjord up and down. Fjord sat up in bed, trying to collect himself.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fi-" another coughing fit interrupted his sentence, making him nearly double over in pain, though it subsided after a moment. Fjord’s eyes watered as he wiped the spittle from his chin. It clung thickly to his hand, and he looked down to find a streak of blood on his fist. Molly noticed this too, and leaned in closer.

"Were you going to say you were fine? Because I don't think you are." He brought a candle from the nearby nightstand over (he must have lit it recently, because it had definitely been extinguished when he had retired to their room) and held it up to Fjord's face. Fjord was too surprised to react when Molly suddenly reached out and tipped his chin up with a clawed finger, opening his jaw so that he could peer inside his mouth. "Hmm." Molly clucked his tongue at whatever he found, then gently closed Fjord's mouth, giving him a light tap on the cheek as he did so. "That's a pretty nasty wound you have. Don't worry though; I've got just the thing."

Fjord watched as Molly went back across the room to his own bed, rummaging through his things until he emerged with a health potion and a jar with some kind of substance inside. He grabbed a discarded water goblet from the nearby table, then scooped some of the substance inside, pouring about half the health potion in after it before giving it a good stir and bringing it back over. Fjord just glanced at it dubiously as Molly held it out in front of him, not wanting to risk speaking again. Molly rolled his eyes at the look and gave him a wry grin.

"Oh, don't worry, it's all natural. Just a little mix of health potion and my own personal wound closing salve. It'll help numb the area, and give the potion a little boost in healing." He waved the goblet in front of Fjord’s face. The liquid was a bright pink, much like his newly stained sheets. It didn’t make for the most appetizing of appearances. “Bottom’s up,” Molly said.

Fjord debated it for a moment, but in the end he just shrugged as he took the goblet and tipped it into his mouth. When the taste registered as it first hit his tongue, he faltered and nearly spit it back out. Whatever was in the salve clashed horribly with the healing potion, leaving a horribly bitter, slightly smoky taste. He felt a hand wrap around his own, firmly guiding the goblet back to his lips. “It’s either this or wake Jester, and I don’t think we need that tonight, do you?” Molly asked. Nodding in agreement, Fjord choked down the rest of the drink, then felt Molly take the empty goblet and set it aside.

His hand immediately flew to his throat at the sudden sensation of ice going all the way down to his stomach. The uncomfortable sensation made him cough, but he was gratified at least by the lack of pain the action brought. Molly turned around from where he had been cleaning up his things, and upon noticing Fjord’s actions, sauntered over and came to sit on the bed beside him. Fjord wanted to say something, but his words caught in his throat from the cold, making his eyes widen in alarm. Molly seemed to notice that, too. “Don’t worry. It’s supposed to do that. The sensation will fade after a few minutes and you’ll catch your breath again, though the area will still be numb.”

They sat there for a few minutes in companionable silence, until Fjord’s throat no longer felt quite like ice, and he found that his tongue and teeth could shape words again. “Thanks, Molly.”

“No problem,” Molly said. His gaze didn’t meet Fjord’s; instead he distracted himself by staring out the window while collecting his thoughts. A pale stream of moonlight fell through the window, and Fjord took a moment to appreciate eerie quiet from the streets below that could only come from the latest hours of the evening. “You know, I understand keeping your secrets. We all have them. Gods know I have more than most.” He lips turned upward into a sardonic grin, though it faded quickly. “But if you ever wanted to talk about things, any one of us would be willing to listen. Because honestly, whatever this is just keeps getting worse, and I’m afraid that one day, we won’t be equipped to help you.”

Fjord was quiet for a long moment. “Sometimes,” he said eventually, “we don’t necessarily get a choice in what happens to us.”

“No. But we can try our damned hardest to shape our path going forward. Or at least, we can choose who we travel it with.”

Fjord looked up to see that Molly had shifted from staring to the window to be looking at Fjord, his red eyes searching him intently. Fjord met his gaze evenly. “I… I want to tell you all. I do. It’s just that I’m not quite even sure of what to make of it myself. I never expected my life to turn like this, and I’m floundering a little bit. Pardon the pun.” He saw Molly’s lips twitch out of the corner of his eye, but the tiefling continued to regard him seriously. After a moment, Fjord sighed. “I’ll tell you all. Someday. I just have some questions that need answering before I can.”

Molly clapped a hand on his shoulder. “I can understand that sentiment more than most, my friend.” He said. “Though I think we’re all looking for answers, one way or another.”

“I only hope that those answers come to our benefit.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But I think having some kind of answer is better than nothing at all. It’s only then that you know what you’re working towards. Or against, for that matter.”

Fjord let that thought settle for a moment before he spoke again. “Thanks, Molly. I appreciate it.”

“It’s what I’m here for,” Molly replied. “Now, let me see,” he said, bringing his hand up to tap Fjord’s jaw once again. Fjord rolled his eyes but obliged in the request, opening his mouth to let Molly peer inside once again. Molly made a noise of triumph, motioning that Fjord could close his mouth. “Excellent! It’s healing quite nicely. By this rate, as long as you don’t strain it, you should be fine by morning.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Oh! And one more thing.” Molly leaned in until he was a little too close for comfort, and made sure that Fjord made eye contact before continuing. “You’ve been doing a great job at hiding all of this so far, but it’s not too hard to pick up on once you start noticing the signs. The next time this happens, don’t hide it. You might not be able to explain it, but you don’t have to suffer alone. Because there might come a time where you’ll need help that you can’t provide to yourself, and we don’t need to find out about it when it’s too late. Understand?”

Molly’s gaze was piercing, and there was some sort of emotion hidden in the depths of his eyes. A threat, almost, but formed out of… worry? Compassion? Whatever it was, it was fierce, and booked no arguments. “Yeah. Okay.”

“We’re a family now, whether we like it or not. And I take my family very seriously. If we can’t rely on each other, then we can’t rely on anyone.” Molly patted him on the shoulder, then stood up. “Anyways, you should get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

Fjord glanced at the pink stain on his sheets. “…I think I’ve had enough sleep for one night.”

There were a lot of things that went unsaid in that sentence. Fjord was sure that Molly picked up on every single one of them.

“I think I’ve had enough of my own demons for a night as well.” He grinned at his own pun. “Fancy a drink? Well, water, anyway. Maybe some weak tea. I wouldn’t suggest anything else until your throat is healed.”

“That sounds like a fine idea.”

Molly went over to his bed and pulled on his coat as Fjord exchanged his sweat and seawater soaked clothes for fresh ones. He deliberated gathering all of the ruined linens together to deal with downstairs, but eventually decided against it. That was an issue that could be dealt with later. Fjord then watched as Molly went and held open the door, waving his hand at the entrance with a theatrical flourish “After you.”

Fjord walked through the doorway, Molly close on his heels, and together the two descended into the pub below.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really digging writing for this fandom right now. Have any suggestions that you want to see? Please send them my way! I'll take any excuse to write more Critical Role fics.


End file.
